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Food and Drink

Dan Miller, the News January Cook of the Month, serves this salad as an appetizer. Shot through with peppery arugula and even more assertive radicchio, dressed with just good olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, it puts iceberg lettuce to shame. The broiled shrimp in Parmesan crumbs adds a touch of luxury.Arugula, Endive & Radicchio Salad with Broiled ShrimpServes:…

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, one of America's best-known film critics and an insightful writer, can't eat any more. He takes nutrition by tube, as a result of complications from surgery after thyroid cancer.Ebert took the time last week to share what he misses about eating. The funny thing is, it's not the food. "Isn't it sad to be unable …

Think you're an undiscovered "Ace of Cakes"? Go head-to-head against other amateur Western New York icing artistes at the Nickel City Cake Challenge, set for Saturday, Feb. 13.You have to submit your application by Jan. 15 to get in, though, and there are only 25 spots. Here's the application with all the picky details.The main event that afternoon is a…

The Travel Channel's attempt to crown a Buffalo Wing Champion by pitting Anchor Bar's product against Duff's version, described in today's Taste story, will probably not put the question to rest in Western New York.And why should it? Wings taste best only minutes out of the fryer, so proximity will always play a significant role. As you can see by readi…

Deanna Adamski's homage to Shrek's swamp home won first place in the Gilda's Club gingerbread house contest's high school division last month. The Alden senior's work, pictured above, included a dead tree painstakingly shaped from modeling chocolate, and an outhouse for accuracy.The gingerbread house contest, held as part of the cancer support cen…

On New Year's Eve, it's a good time to share more resolutions that Western New York cooks contributed when I asked for their thoughts on shopping, cooking and eating in the New Year.Jean Palas of of Elma, retired microbiology technicianSince I am pretty much down to fish and sometimes a little Wendel's poultry, I will try to learn to enjoy recipes based on l…

If you've ever seen a recipe on Alton Brown's "Good Eats" and wanted to try it out, you've got plenty of company. The Food Network recipe archive is reasonably functional, if you prefer official sites.But the pick of the litter is the Good Eats Fan Page. There, each episode of the 10-year-old whiz kid of cooking shows is lovingly annotated. Fan-pro…

One of the memorable recipes from Alton Brown's "Good Eats: The Early Years" is an Asian-flavored stir-fry of squid, cooked for mere seconds until done but still tender.Squid ViciousFrom "Good Eats: The Early Years," by Alton Brown (Stewart Tabori & Chang)1 pound whole squid (10/20 size)1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste2 teaspoons cornst…

Farmers and restaurant people usually view each other from opposite ends of the local commercial food chain, but last year more than 100 crowded into a conference room to start talking about how they could better work together.This year the second Farmer-Chef Conference is set for Jan. 25, at Beaver Hollow Conference Center. The one-day conference "provides workshops …

In today's Buffalo News story on warming drinks, kundalini yoga instructor Siri Narayan Fuda talks about a recipe for chai, or Indian spiced milk tea. There wasn't room for her chai recipe in today's newspaper, but we'll share it here.Siri's recipe, which she was given by her yoga instructor, differs significantly from the chai recipe we printed, f…

Interested in Nickel City Chef, Buffalo's live cooking competition, but couldn't get a ticket at any of the sold out events this season? Here's a video that will give you a peek inside the kitchen stadium, at Artisan Kitchens.It's a collection of footage from several sources, so don't expect a slick Food Network presentation. But it's plenty enough for a taste of the exper…

Headed to Cheektowaga tomorrow to drop a fortune at Walden Galleria stores? Take along a few cans of food and make for the Apple Store, where you can help feed hungry Western New Yorkers.The event, in its second year, is called Tunes4Food. Local artists will play inside and outside the store from 3 to 9 p.m. while shoppers are invited to make donations of prepackaged food …

I have received a postcard from Penzeys, the spice people. It says a Penzeys Spices outlet is "opening soon" at 783 Elmwood Ave.Since I know people who wouldn't think of going to Cleveland or Pittsburgh without stopping at the Penzeys outlets there, I thought it was worth mentioning. I've been meaning to order some of their Turkish Blend but now I guess…

If you're reading today's story on edible gifts and none of those ideas catch your fancy, head to the Vatican City of classy do-it-yourself food: Martha Stewart's site.To some people, "Martha Stewart" has become shorthand for over-wrought, too-precious-by-half preparations. When it comes to food, at least, that's simply not accurate. Stewart…

The Food Network has called the Buffalo restaurant scene a "culinary gem in the making."Okay, it was a television producer and food writer who blogs for Food Network Canada. Still, it's satisfying to see local Buffalo standouts like Sample and Tempo restaurants, and Dolci Bakery, get some lovin' from our cousins to the north."Take a New York minute…